By WMBD-TV

BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL – Leaders at the Bloomington-Normal National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called Sonya Massey’s death “senseless and gruesome.”

Massey was killed in her Springfield, Illinois, home after being shot by former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson earlier this month. Leaders at the Bloomington-Normal NAACP said at this year’s National NAACP Convention that Massey’s killing weighed heavy on their hearts.

In a press release following the release of the body cam footage, NAACP leaders said the actions of Grayson don’t align with the Ten Shared Principles, which value the life of every person and treating everyone with dignity and respect. Those principles are an agreement between the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, the NAACP and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

“She called for help. She depended on them to do the right thing,” NAACP President Linda Foster said.

With the 1908 Springfield Race Riot being a catalyst for the formation of the NAACP, Foster and NAACP Vice President Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson said Massey’s death showed that work remains regarding civil rights and social justice.

“The fact that the NAACP was born out of the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois, and the fact that this murder happened in Springfield is very concerning,” Campbell-Jackson said.

The NAACP Illinois State Conference Youth and College Division provided the following statement, which reads:

“Today, our communities and social media feeds will once again be flooded with the
brutal depiction of yet another innocent Black person being murdered at the hands of the police. Since the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 the feeling of being desensitized has increased significantly when it comes to the murders of Black and Brown people. In this moment it is pertinent to remember we cannot forget or ignore; however, we highly recommend exercising discretion before reviewing the video. We must face the issue head on in order to end the cycle of brutalization, while also protecting our mental health to continue serving our communities.”

“Sonya Massey is not just a name or a stand-alone incident, she joins hundreds if not thousands of other names of lives cut short. We will continue to #SAYHERNAME and advocate for accountability when it comes to the police force. Black and Brown people deserve to live their lives without the fear of a police interaction leading to their deaths. The police are here to protect and serve, however, Massey called law enforcement for assistance, and instead she was killed in her own home.”

“The NAACP Illinois State Conference Youth and College Division offer our condolences and support to the Massey family during this troubling time. However, we know that our condolences come nowhere near to getting justice for the loss of their family member. We recognize that an event such as this will impact local communities and the ongoing relationships, they have with law enforcement. It is essential that we come together as a community to support one another towards healing and positive change. We commend the Prosecutor and the Sheriff’s Department for taking swift action in an attempt to bring justice to the Massey family and reassure the public that unnecessary force will not be tolerated. However, we know that the work does not stop there. We are cognizant that the justice system does not always work in the favor of Black and Brown people, however we are hopeful that this time will be different and set a precedent for a just system.”